Saturday, May 14, 2016

Reeling in the Memories

We're a fishing family. We've never been to a lake or river or ocean. All of our fishing has taken place on the ranch in dirt tanks. When I look back at pictures from years past, they are filled with family...with horses, ranching, hunting, camping, shooting, and fishing.

I don't think we've thrown a line in the water since the kids left home though. How sad is that? So when DH asked what I wanted to do last Sunday, I piped up, "Go fishing!" And fishing we did go:

This is fence tank. When we moved here, it was the first place we fished.

The morning was absolutely perfect. Cool enough for light jackets that we shucked a few hours later. It just does not get much better than this:

We caught 12 Bass. Well, perhaps I ought to amend that. DH caught 11,

I caught one. LOL.

We only brought home 3 to eat and threw the rest back to be caught another day.

These tanks were once filled with Catfish and Perch and Bass and Sunfish, but the drought dried all, but 2 of the tanks up. We have even made desperate attempts at rescuing some of the fish and relocating them to the tanks that still had water, both here and in Texas.

Lots of good memories have been made at the end of a fishing pole around here:

And there are more to be made!

Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after...Henry David Thoreau

When I read "dirt tanks" I imagined some kind of largish metal containers holding water. I wondered how you managed to fish with a pole in such a container. Ha ha. Your photos clarified that you have very large ponds or very small lakes. It's sad that we quit doing things we enjoyed as a family after our children are grown and move away. It's happened with my husband and me, too.

We have two spring fed "ponds" on our place. Grands love fishing in them and we do, too. Gene is mowing with riding mower there now as he keeps the one looking like a park. Interesting that you posted that today as I have catfish thawing for our evening meal! Good to spend time together and ours was spent in the garden early this morning. I was planting horticulture beans and he was mulching with really old hay. Turns it under in the fall to improve the soil. Spring has finally come to the Ozarks!! Glad you had a good day together!! They are priceless!!

I'm with you when it comes to fishing. My grandpa instilled the love of fishing in me. To this day I love to sit by the bank or in a boat and wait for the tug at the end of my line anticipating what is at the other end. The scenery is usually beautiful and so peaceful too. Great pictures of the past. Thanks for the jog of memories that poured through me.

We love fishing, too, and I've lived on the water (or near it) all my life! I'd *never* heard of a dirt tank before, much less dirt tank fishing!! Were they stocked at some point? Nice haul for dinner! :)

About Me

Living life at the end of the dirt road is a joy and the blessings are many. My husband and I have been married for 30 years and we have two great kids ~ our son is 26, serving our country as a Marine, and our daughter is 23, working on her Ruminant Nutrition graduate degree..So proud of both of them! The good Lord has blessed us with an amazing life! We ranch on 128,000 acres and there is never a dull moment. I am chief cook, bottle washer, gate opener, and retired homeschool Mama. I love the Lord, photography, gardening, quilting,tending to cattle & horses and helping DH in any capacity I can, as well as feeding everyone that wonders down the dirt road.
So welcome to life at the end of the dirt road ~ I hope you enjoy the visit!